Spring Events to Look Forward to in San Antonio

Alamo City Comic Con Get out your spandex, swords and face paint, because San Antonio is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing comic and pop-culture conventions in the country. During this three-day celebration of all things comic, participants have the opportunity to mingle with their favorite celebrities, purchase art and collectibles, and attend panels covering a wide variety of subjects. This year’s celebrity guest stars include Napoleon Dynamite himself, Jon Heder, Carl Weathers, Lucha Underground wrestler Rey Mysterio, famed Marvel and DC comic artists/writers Tim Sale and Neil Adams and more to be announced. Oh, and did we mention there’s a costume contest? $30-$250, May 26-28, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market St., alamocitycomiccon.com.

Contemporary Art MonthFor the past three decades, Contemporary Art Month (CAM) has provided San Anto with a yearly, month-long opportunity to feast on some of the best contemporary art from our city and far beyond. CAM’s main objectives — to foster community among SA artists and provide a larger audience for up-and-coming talent — make it one of the primary drivers of this city’s thriving artistic identity. The CAM Perrenial exhibition invites a curator from a partner city to visit San Antonio artists’ studios and make selections for a show. This year, the Southwest School of Art partners with CAM for the Perennial show curated by Chris Ingalls of Miami. CAMx will also pair an artist-run space from SA with one from Miami for each to mount a show in the other’s gallery. Keep an eye on the CAM website for the spectacular kickoff party at Blue Star Contemporary and a plethora of art events and exhibitions. Free with few exceptions, March, locations vary, contemporaryartmonth.com.

San Antonio Book Festival Hosted at San Antonio’s Central Library and the Southwest School of Art, the relatively young San Antonio Book Festival is a daylong “celebration of ideas, books, libraries and literary culture.” Now in its fifth year, the bibliophilic fest has found itself a beacon of cultural and social luminance in SA. You can wander through the exhibition stalls talking with local booksellers and authors, look at their wares and stop by a food truck for some brain fuel. Last year’s stacked slate of happenings included over 80 acclaimed regional and national authors, featured readings, panel discussions, book signings, events for children and teens and much more. Free, April 8, San Antonio Central Library, 600 Soledad St., saplf.org/festival.

Fiesta You know you live in a badass place when once a year, everything halts as the city engages for more than a week in an event simply dubbed Fiesta (literally: “Party”). This year’s Fiesta, which marks the 126th anniversary of the citywide shindig, promises to cram even more confetti, food, booze, flair and fun into its 10 days than ever. Everybody is in on it, with events from Night in Old San Antonio and Cornyation to The Fiesta Pooch Parade and Battle of the Flowers Parade and Band Festival. Amid all the ravishing revelry and myriad multicultural celebrations, it’s important to remember that the proceeds from Fiesta help keep our city strong. A party with a purpose? Bring it on. Prices vary, April 20-30, locations vary, fiesta-sa.org.

Culinaria Festival Week As San Antonio continues blossoming into one of the finest places in the world to live and/or visit, it seems like festivals fill up every single day on the calendar. This, of course, is a wonderful problem to have. Certainly the most delectable festival offering in town is Culinaria Festival Week. Presented by Culinaria, “an independent, not-for-profit organization, committed to promoting San Antonio as a premier food and wine destination, while fostering community growth,” the festival is chock-full of opportunities to try new foods and drinks and experience the cutting edge of the SA culinary scene. Check the website for the varied event listings like Bubbles and Pearls, Burgers, BBQ and Beer, Tex-Mex and Tequila, and the Grand Tasting. Prices vary, May 18-21, locations vary, culinariasa.org.